There have been two goalies who have established themselves as the leaders for the Vezina Trophy. They are Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins and Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens. In early November I picked Rask as the Vezina leader. In early December, Price passed him in the race. I think Rask is back in the lead. Rask is posting a 1.87 GAA and a .936 saves percentage. Price's numbers are not quite as strong. He is posting a 2.10 GAA and .932 saves percentage. Rask is clearly in the lead right now.

The race is close enough that a good game from one and a poorer game from the other could change the rankings. Tuukka Rask is one of the better goalies in the NHL and it is not impossible that he establishes himself as the top goalie in the league over the next couple of years. He is a 26 year old who has always posted good goaltending numbers. He has only once played more than 36 games in an NHL season. His playing time is taking off this year as Chad Johnson is his back-up and will not challenge Rask for ice time in any significant way. Rask is leading in the Vezina race this season and is in a good position to stay in or near that position for a significant time into the future.